Production Manager @ Actalent

Job Title: Production ManagerJob DescriptionThe Production Manager oversees planning, scheduling, and execution of low-volume, complex electromechanical builds. This role develops realistic production plans based on labor capacity, skill requirements, material readiness, and technical dependencies, while leading a team of assemblers and technicians. The Production Manager drives continuous improvement in manufacturing processes, ensures consistent use of documented procedures, and coordinates closely with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality builds on time.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a detailed production plan based on the active production queue, remaining work, required skills, available personnel, material readiness, and engineering and software dependencies.
• Use appropriate scheduling and analysis tools to model labor requirements and available capacity by person or skill group, project, and week.
• Build production schedules from estimated work and actual capacity rather than assigning dates without supporting analysis.
• Establish clear task sequences, ownership, milestones, and realistic completion dates for all production activities.
• Validate labor and time estimates with the people performing the work and refine those estimates using actual results.
• Identify resource conflicts, bottlenecks, and missing information early, and present practical options for resolving them.
• Review production progress regularly and update the plan as conditions change to keep schedules accurate and credible.
• Provide capacity and production-loading information before customer delivery commitments are made.
• Direct the daily activities of production assemblers and technicians with clear assignments, priorities, and expectations.
• Monitor progress, workmanship, productivity, and completion of assigned work, addressing performance issues promptly.
• Develop team skills through training and cross-training to meet current and future production needs.
• Maintain an organized, professional, and safe production environment.
• Balance immediate production needs with the planning and preparation required for upcoming builds.
• Learn existing assembly, integration, troubleshooting, and test methods from experienced employees.
• Identify and implement practical improvements that reduce rework, delays, interruptions, and unnecessary labor.
• Develop repeatable work instructions and checklists where they improve consistency and build quality.
• Capture lessons learned from each build and use them to improve future estimates, schedules, and methods.
• Ensure production follows applicable processes, including the Sales Traveler, approved Build Plan, kickoff requirements, and required reviews and sign-offs.
• Confirm that required information, materials, and approvals are available before releasing work to production.
• Identify and resolve incomplete handoffs, unresolved requirements, and scope changes, obtaining decisions and updating the production plan accordingly.
• Maintain clear visibility into build status, remaining labor, constraints, risks, and actions requiring management attention.
• Recruit, interview, evaluate, and onboard qualified production assemblers and technicians.
• Assess candidates practical skills and suitability for system-level assembly roles using the production forecast and labor-loading plan.
• Own planning and execution for non-IBM production while coordinating with other production areas as needed.
• Coordinate with the IBM production manager and Operations Manager on shared personnel, equipment, and facilities.
• Incorporate approved resource allocations into the production plan and escalate conflicts promptly.
• Coordinate with engineering, software, purchasing, and quality teams to keep builds moving and resolve issues quickly.
• Distinguish labor effort from elapsed time in planning and scheduling, accounting for dependencies, skill requirements, and competing commitments.
• Drive consistent use of required production processes to improve schedule reliability, estimate accuracy, build quality, and team capability.

Essential Skills

• Demonstrated experience managing production personnel in a low-volume environment involving complex equipment or electromechanical systems.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain realistic schedules and labor-loading plans using appropriate software tools, such as Gantt chartbased scheduling and analysis tools.
• Practical understanding of assembly, system integration, troubleshooting, and testing for complex electromechanical equipment.
• Ability to distinguish labor effort from elapsed time and incorporate dependencies, skill requirements, and competing commitments into production plans.
• Experience improving manufacturing methods, reducing rework and delays, and implementing repeatable processes, work instructions, and documented procedures.
• Strong production planning and scheduling skills, including capacity planning and labor loading based on skill groups and projects.
• Hands-on understanding of electromechanical assembly, integration, and troubleshooting sufficient to effectively manage production activities.
• Experience with manufacturing process optimization and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ability to use scheduling tools and analytical methods for risk mitigation and capacity analysis.
• Clear communication skills, including the ability to explain priorities, expectations, and production status to diverse stakeholders.
• Sound judgment and a collaborative approach to accountability and problem-solving.
• Ability to coordinate cross-functional support with engineering, software, purchasing, and quality teams.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with optical inspection, metrology, semiconductor equipment, automation, or similar precision systems.
• Background in recruiting and developing production assemblers and technicians.
• Familiarity with ERP/MRP systems and production scheduling software.
• Experience with formal continuous improvement methods and tools.
• Relevant technical education in engineering, manufacturing, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience creating and maintaining work instructions, checklists, and documented procedures for production environments.
• Ability to capture lessons learned and incorporate them into future estimates, schedules, and build plans.

Work EnvironmentThe role operates in a low-volume production environment focused on complex electromechanical and system-level builds. You work closely with assemblers, technicians, engineering, software, purchasing, and quality teams, using scheduling and analysis tools such as Gantt charts, ERP/MRP systems, and other planning software to manage labor loading and capacity. The production area emphasizes organization, professionalism, and safety, with an expectation of maintaining a clean and well-ordered workspace. Work involves coordinating shared personnel, equipment, and facilities across different production streams, monitoring build status and risks, and supporting continuous improvement in methods and processes. Hours and shifts follow typical production operations and may require flexibility to meet build schedules and deadlines.

Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract to Hire position based out of Simi Valley, CA.

Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $57.70 - $67.30/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision

Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital

401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available

Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)

Short and long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 11, 2026.

Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Simi Valley,CA.About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [email protected] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.